Manual underwriting
Definition
Manual underwriting is an underwriting method in which a human underwriter performs the comprehensive risk assessment instead of relying on an automated engine. It is not underwriting itself and not automated underwriting.
In plain English
Some files are reviewed by a person who weighs credit, income, assets, and other risk without using an automated underwriting engine as the method. That path is manual underwriting. The steps are not identical at every lender. This page names the method. It does not publish a universal process or eligibility matrix.
Technical definition
Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide names manual underwriting as the non-automated option for a comprehensive risk assessment. That official contrast with automated underwriting is PRIMARY.
Why it matters
A manually underwritten loan is still underwritten. The method is the distinction, not a promise of an easier or harder result.
Commonly confused with
Related terms
Sources reviewed
B3-1-01 Comprehensive Risk Assessment
ObservedSeptember 6, 2026
Important note
Manual underwriting is not one universal process and is not a GSE eligibility table.